The Black Family Yule Ball
by MoonyPadfootProngs3
Summary: It's the Winter Holidays of Sirius's fifth year, and he's forced to spend it at the overly-pompous annual Black Family Yule Ball. This particular Christmas however, when the other three Marauders agree to go with him to make the holidays more bearable and refuse to leave without Sirius, turns out to be a very interesting one indeed. T for language.


Black Family Ball- Chapter 1

Sirius waltzed into the Great Hall and plopped next to his friends, grinning widely. He had a lot to be happy about. Winter break would start tomorrow, and for the first time in forever, his parents had finally agreed to let him stay at Hogwarts over Christmas. (By 'agreed', Sirius meant he had had a screaming fight with them the night before boarding the train, in which he had slammed the door after shouting that he was staying, end of story, and assumed that since they hadn't succeeding in knocking down his door that he had won.)Typically, he would be forced to come home over the holidays, mainly so that his parents actually had someone to take their frustration with him out on, and then would take off after a week or so and run to James' place, where the Potters welcomed him home like their own.

This year though, Mr. and Mrs. Potter had let Sirius know in advance that they had to leave for work over Christmas. Troubling signs were appearing all over Britain. Death Eaters seemed to be at a rise once again, Voldemort had gotten stronger, and the good wizards needed all the help they could get. They told James and Sirius that (if Sirius' parents let him) it would be safer to stay at Hogwarts this particular Winter break, and the two boys grudgingly agreed.

At first, the Marauders were unsure about not having Christmas at the Potters', which had gradually become the tradition over the years, but, after putting some thought into it, they realized it would be great to get some extra time to work on the map, which was coming along nicely, but still missing near half the castle.

"You seem in a good mood." The Remus observed groggily, book in hand, raising a suspicious eyebrow as Sirius and James fought desperately for the last slice of bacon, a fight which James won in the first five seconds.

"I am." Sirius grinned, turning his attention from bacon to sausage. "I just have to get through one more day of classes and homework and detention and listening to you and Lily knowing all the answers, and then I can _finally_ relax."

James laughed. "Assuming of course, Mr. Padfoot, that by relaxing you mean incessantly planning out millions of pranks for next term."

Sirius raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Why Mr. Prongs, I was not aware that a better definition of relaxation existed." He pointed out.

Remus, who had hardly touched his food and given what little he mustered up the appetite to put onto his plate to Peter, shook his head darkly. " _You_ can relax, I've got another one coming up on me in less than a week."

Sirius and James exchanged a grin. "Brilliant."

"Oh, cheer up, Remus!" Peter exclaimed, his mouth full of pudding. "At least now we get to find the 5th secret entrance into Hogsmeade."

Sirius put his arms behind his hand and laid back onto James' shoulders. "Yep, it's gonna be a very relaxing winter indeed."

"Sirius."

James turned around and gaped at the 4th year he saw standing behind the two of them, Peter started choking on his pudding and Remus dropped the book in shock. Sirius didn't even bother to open his eyes.

"Reg you bloody git, can't you see I'm busy relaxing? Go away."

Regulus rolled his eyes and sighed, fixing the part on his 'perfectly' cropped black hair and straightening his green and silver Slytherin tie. "What are you wearing?"

Sirius opened his eyes in bewilderment, confused and slightly suspicious of his brother's strange question. "Um, the Hogwarts uniform?" He answered with a question, looking at his brother like he had just sprouted a fourth head. "Why, what are you wearing? Better be something good if its gonna disguise the less-than-half a brain you have in there."

James snickered but Remus and Peter were too shocked with the unusualness of this conversation to respond in any way, shape, or form to Sirius' insult. Typically, Sirius and Regulus stayed as far apart as possible, the other Marauders didn't know how it was at home, but at school the two hated each other with a flaming passion and tried to stay as far out of the others' way as possible. Therefore, seeing Regulus approach Sirius like this was very confusing for the three of them.

Shaking his head, Regulus rephrased. "Not now. For the ball, I mean."

"What ball?" Sirius asked, closing his eyes and hoping that it would make his brother disappear, maybe permanently if he was lucky…

Regulus sighed. "Are you serious? You don't know about this?"

Sirius grinned. "Of course I am, we've lived in the same bloody house for 11 years and you don't even know my name. That hurts, Reg. Now I suggest you go back to the Slytherin common room and start packing because your proximity to me is giving me a bloody migraine." Sirius didn't even have to open his eyes to know that Regulus winced at his language, it was a near constant thing for the rare moments when they actually spent time together.

"Mother and Father said they want you here for the ball this year, and I need to know where you got your dress robes, assuming you have already gotten them yet…"

Sirius opened his eyes and sat up, glaring at Regulus in a 'who-do-you-think-you-are-ruining-my-perfectly-relaxing-morning-go-away' way. "First off, I'm _not_ coming home again this Christmas. Second off, what ball are you even bloody talking about? Third off, no I have not gotten bloody dress robes because I'm not going to any formal event this Christmas."James gave his friend a very offended scoff. "Besides our annual Marauder prank-athon, which is just as formal as any stupid pureblood ball and a kajillion times more worth it." Sirius added.

Regulus' lower lip started to tremble. "But… but Mother and Father."

"I'm not going."

"Sirius…"

"I'm not going."

"Siri…"

"I'm _not_ going."

Then, almost as if on cue, a huge snowy owl soared into the room, bearing a letter. Recognizing the red paper from the millions that his prim, rule-following aunt had sent him, James couldn't help but rip open the Howler out of habit, knowing how bad things would get if he let it smolder for a while.

" _SIRIUS ORION BLACK_!"


End file.
